Eagles Must Win Against Taifa Stars, Says Former Players

Former Nigeria internationals Sylvanus Okpala and Abiodun Obafemi have told the Super Eagles to treat their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania as must-win matches.

Nigeria will host the Taifa Stars at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, November 13, at 5pm. The return match will be in Zanzibar on Tuesday, November 17.

The Super Eagles are currently second in Group L with three points from two matches. They beat Madagascar 2-1 but lost 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau. Tanzania has already qualified as co-hosts, so only one ticket is left from the group.

Okpala, who played for the Green Eagles when they won the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, was also an assistant coach under the late Stephen Keshi during the Super Eagles' 2013 AFCON win. He emphasized that the team cannot afford to make mistakes.

"They should know that for them to qualify, they have to play to win all the games now and hope that someone will lose the game," Okpala told our correspondent.

"If they can win all their games, that means they must beat Guinea-Bissau, who beat them last time. It is tough, and it is crucial, but it is what they need to do."

Obafemi, part of the Nigerian team that won gold at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, urged caution. He recalled Nigeria's failure to qualify for the World Cup.

"Thunder does not strike twice, but we have to be very careful. We know how we lost out in the World Cup, and we have to be very careful here so we do not miss out here."

"Nothing less than 100 percent, so we can qualify for the AFCON and not experience a repeat," he said.

The Super Eagles now have a full camp in Uyo. Seventeen players trained on Tuesday, with more arriving later that day due to flight delays on Monday. All 24 invited players were in camp by Wednesday.

The Taifa Stars, led by coach Miguel Gamondi, arrived in Uyo on Tuesday morning. They trained at the stadium’s practice pitch that same night.